Game piece and method of playing game using same

ABSTRACT

An article of manufacture for use by a player in a game or as a collectible figure, comprising a first portion comprising a representational figure and a second portion affixed to the first portion and comprising a coupling member arranged to be coupled with a preexisting support structure so that a user of the article of manufacture is enabled to couple it with the support structure and uncouple it therefrom.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/482,462, filed Jul. 6, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S.provisional application Ser. No. 60/696,966, filed Jul. 6, 2005. Thedisclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/482,462 and U.S.provisional application Ser. No. 60/696,966 are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns game pieces, games that employ gamepieces and methods of playing a game using one or more game pieces.

Game manufacturers produce a variety of game pieces and battle games fortwo or more players, in which the game pieces can be employed. Tradingcard games, in which trading cards collected by players are used forbattling other players' trading cards, are well known. Conventionaltrading card games typically include a plurality of character battlecards which can be used alone or in combination with energy cards tobattle other players' character battle cards. An example of a tradingcard game is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,851, which discloses acard game toy that includes a master card representing the player and aplurality of monster battle cards, each of which includes a printedrepresentation of the monster and printed characteristics of themonster. In playing the game of the '851 patent, each player's battlecards and master card are placed on a battle field and each player iscapable of attacking an opponent's battle card or master card, defendingone's own battle or master card, moving one of the battle cards withinthe battle field or evicting a battle card from the battle field. Whenone player uses one of its cards to attack one or more of anotherplayer's cards, the printed characteristics are used to determine theoutcome or result of the attack.

Some conventional games have added a degree of realism to the game byusing three-dimensional figures representing characters in the gameinstead of trading cards. An example of such games is disclosed in U.S.published applications numbers US 2002/0180150 and US 2003/0071414. Inparticular, the 2002/0180150 and 2003/0071414 publications discloseusing miniature figures as game pieces in a game, in which the gamepieces of opposing players are used to battle one another. In order toeliminate frequent reference to a manual to keep track of changes in thecharacteristics of each game piece as the game progresses, each of thegame pieces in the 2002/0180150 and 2003/0071414 includes a base andvariable printed characteristics of the game piece inserted in the base,such that the base can be adjusted to display current characteristics ofthe game piece. The characteristics displayed on the base of the gamepiece are used in determining the outcome of the attack or defense whenone player uses its game piece to battle another player's game piece.

In the above-described conventional games, the determination of theoutcome of the battle between two game pieces is often complicated andmay become tedious for the players, since the game pieces typicallyinclude multiple characteristics. Accordingly, a game piece for use in abattle game and a battle game which simplifies the determination of thebattle outcome is desired. Moreover, in order to enhance the enjoymentof the battle game, a game that includes additional new characters,options and strategies is also desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and aspects of the present invention willbecome more apparent upon reading the following detailed description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an assembled game piece;

FIG. 2 shows the game piece of FIG. 1 disassembled into its componentparts;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a bottom surface of the supportmember of the game piece of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows a bottom perspective view of one of the embodiments of aretaining member component of the game piece of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 shows the retaining member of FIG. 4 used together with a basemember of the game piece of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates another embodiment of the retainingmember and the base member;

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of the retainingmember and the base member of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of a recess in the base member circled as“A” in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative example of a second character game piece;

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative example of a playmat for a two-playergame; and

FIG. 11 shows a more detailed view of one of peripheral areas of theplaymat of FIG. 10.

DISCLOSURE

An article of manufacture for use by a player in a game or as acollectible figure, comprises a first portion comprising arepresentational figure, and a second portion affixed to the firstportion and comprising a coupling member arranged to be coupled with apreexisting support structure so that a user of the article ofmanufacture is enabled to couple it with the support structure anduncouple it therefrom. In certain embodiments, the coupling member isarranged to couple with the preexisting support structure so that thecoupling member is freely rotatable thereon.

A game piece comprises the article of manufacture and the preexistingsupport structure, such that the article of manufacture is supported bythe preexisting support structure and is freely rotatable thereon. Incertain embodiments, one of the article of manufacture and thepreexisting support structure of the game piece comprises an indexindicator and the other one of the article of manufacture and thepreexisting support structure comprises game related indicia so thatwhen the article of manufacture is rotated with respect to thepreexisting support structure, the index indicator is registered withthe game related indicia.

A game piece comprises the article of manufacture and the preexistingsupport structure such that the article of manufacture is supported bythe preexisting support structure and the preexisting support structurecomprises a base and a retaining member, the retaining member beingreleasably engaged with the base, and the coupling member of the articleof manufacture is captured between the base and the retaining member,the retaining member and the base being arranged such that they may bereleased from engagement by rotation of the retaining member withrespect to the base.

A game piece comprises the article of manufacture and the preexistingsupport structure, with the article of manufacture being supported bythe preexisting support structure and the game piece further comprisesindicia on one of the article of manufacture and the preexisting supportstructure representing a plurality of attack parameters usable in apreexisting game, the indicia being movable with respect to the other ofthe article of manufacture and the preexisting support structure inresponse to a force applied by a user, wherein selection of an attackparameter from the plurality of attack parameters is determined by aposition at which the indicia rests after being moved by the user.

An article of manufacture for use by a player in a game or as acollectible figure, comprises a support member adapted to support arepresentational figure, a base member and a retaining member, whereinthe base member and the retaining member are adapted to capture thesupport member therebetween, and the retaining member is adapted toreleasably engage with the base member by rotating one of the basemember and the retaining member with respect to the other of the basemember and the retaining member.

An article of manufacture for use by a player in a game comprises acollectable figure comprising a representational figure on a supportmember, a base, and a retaining member, the retaining member beingrotatable relative to the base with the support member therebetween toreleasably engage the retaining member with the base and capture thesupport member therebetween.

The game pieces of the present invention are useful in games of manykinds, including games involving battles or other contests between oramong the game pieces, sports games (for example, baseball or football),adventure games, role playing games, racing games, knowledge games,party games, social simulation games, strategy games, battle simulationgames and memory games.

Certain game piece embodiments disclosed herein include figuresrepresenting fictional animals. However, in other embodiments the gamepieces include one or more figures representing real animals, or real orfictional persons. In still other embodiments, in place of or inaddition to such a figure, the game piece includes an object such as amarker, a scoring or record keeping device, a structure, sportsequipment, a weapon, a tool, a vehicle, a device or the like, or arepresentation of such an object.

FIG. 1 illustrates an assembled game piece 20 and FIG. 2 shows the gamepiece 20 disassembled into its component parts. As shown in FIGS. 1 and2, the game piece 20 comprises a representational figure 130 on asupport member 25 and a base 10, with the support member 25 being freelyrotatable relative to the base 10. In certain embodiments, one of thesupport member 25 and the base 10 includes an index indicator 260, andthe other one of the support member 25 and the base 10 includes gamerelated indicia 140, so that when the support member 25 is rotated withrespect to the base 10, the index indicator 260 is registered with thegame related indicia 140.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the representational figure 130 maycomprise a three-dimensional character which represents the identity ofthe game piece 20 and is mounted on an upper surface of the supportmember 25. In other embodiments, the representational figure maycomprise a two-dimensional piece such as, for example, a card showingthe identity of a character or an item used in a game, or any otherrepresentational element which identifies or represents a character oran item that can be used in a game. In certain embodiments, therepresentational figure 130 and the support member 25 are formed asseparate pieces and then affixed to one another, while in others therepresentational figure 130 and the support member 25 are formed as asingle piece. In certain embodiments, the support member 25 and the base10 are formed from a molded plastic material, such as molded ABS, havinga low friction surface which enables the support member 25 to rotatefreely in relation to the base 10.

In certain embodiments, the base 10 includes a base member 10 a and aretaining member 30 releasably engaged with the base member 10 a, suchthat the support member 25 is captured between the base member 10 a andthe retaining member 30. In certain embodiments, the retaining member 30can be rotated relative to the base member 10 a so as to releasablyengage therewith and so as to capture the support member 25 between thebase member 10 a and the retaining member 30. In one of the illustrativeembodiments, the retaining member 30 includes a plurality of retainerfingers 200 formed integrally with the retaining member 30 and sized andpositioned to engage with a respective slot or recess 220 formed in thebase member 10 a. In particular, and with reference to FIG. 5, each slotor indentation 220 includes a first portion 230 sized to permit arespective one of the retainer fingers 200 to pass therethrough and asecond portion 240 sized to capture the retainer finger 200 to as toprevent separation of the retaining member 30 from the base member 10 a.In the embodiment shown, the width of the first portion 230 is greaterthan the width of the second portion 240. Illustrative configurations ofthe retainer fingers 200 and the slots or recesses 220 formed in theretaining member 30 and the base member 10 a, respectively, are shown inmore detail in FIGS. 4-8 and are described in more detail herein below.

In certain embodiments, the support member 25 includes a central member100 having a flat upper surface and a medial ring 110 extendingoutwardly from the central member 100. In the illustrative configurationshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the central member 100 is shaped as a truncatedcone and the representational figure 130 is mounted on the flat uppersurface of the central member 100. As also illustratively shown in FIGS.2 and 3, the support member 25 may include an outer ring-shaped lip 120extending downwardly from the central member 100 and thence outwardly ashort distance. The lip 120 enables the support member 25 to be retainedby the retaining member 30 of the base 10. In particular, in theillustrative configuration shown, the retaining member 30 comprises aring-shaped member having an inner diameter which is smaller than anouter diameter of the lip 120 of the support member 25. In an assembledstate, the retaining member 30 partially covers the lip 120 of thesupport member 25 so as to capture and retain the support member 25between the retaining member 30 and the base member 10 a.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a bottom surface of the supportmember 25 of the game piece 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG.3, in certain embodiments, the support member 25 includes a bushing 22having a substantially cylindrical inner surface. The bushing 22 can beformed on the lower surface of the central member 100 of the supportmember. Referring now to FIG. 2, the base member 10 a includes a post 12formed on its upper surface. The post 12 has a substantially cylindricalshape, and the inner surface of the bushing 22 is dimensioned to fitclosely over the post 12 in order to mount the support member 25 on thebase member 10 a.

When the support member 25 is mounted on the base member 10 a, as shownin FIG. 1, the weight of the support member 25 and the representationalfigure 130 thereon is borne by a lowermost edge 24 of the bushing 22against an upper surface of the base member 10 a. The low frictionsurface of the support member 25 and the base member 10 allows thesupport member 25 to rotate freely on the lowermost edge 24 of thebushing 22 supported by the upper surface of the base member 10 a.

In certain embodiments, the base member 10 a is also provided with aprojection 170, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This projection 170 can begrasped by a user to enable the user to maintain a firm grip on the gamepiece 20 when the support member 25 is rotated relative to the base 10.

In certain embodiments, the game related indicia 140 provided on one ofthe support member 25 and the base 10 represents a plurality of attackparameters 150, 160 and is movable with respect to the other of thesupport member 25 and the base 10 in response to a force applied by auser. Selection of an attack parameter 150, 160 from the plurality ofattack parameters of the game related indicia 140 is determined by aposition at which the indicia 140 rests after being moved by the user.

In certain embodiments, the game related indicia 140 is provided on alabel or a sticker and includes a plurality of sections 150, 160, eachsection representing one or more attack parameters. The attack parameterrepresented by the indicia can be one or more of an action, a conditionor a capability of the piece 20. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and2, the sections 150, 160 of the game related indicia 140 comprisearcuate segments printed on a sticker which is affixed to the supportmember 25. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sticker isaffixed to an upper surface of the medial ring 110 of the support member25. As also illustratively shown, the index indicator 260 can be in theform of an arrow provided on an upper surface of the base 10 and, inparticular, on an upper surface of the retaining member 30. Using thisconfiguration of the game piece 20, if a user applies a force to thesupport member 25 or the representational figure 130 mounted on thesupport member 25 so as to rotate the support member 25 relative to thebase 10, the game related indicia 140 moves with the support member 25relative to the index indicator 260 and the base 10. When the supportmember 25 and the game related indicia 140 come to rest relative to thebase 10 and the index indicator arrow 260, that section 150, 160 of thegame indicia 140 which is registered with the index indicator 260 can beselected as the attack parameter. As described herein below, theselection of the attack parameter can be used by the user when playing agame using one or more of the game pieces 20.

Although the game piece 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes two sections150, 160 corresponding to attack parameters “Thundershock” and “Miss,”it is understood that the game indicia may include more than twosections and that the same attack parameter may be represented by morethan one section of the game indicia. Thus, for example, game indiciamay include two sections representing actions such as “Mow Down,”“Earthquake,” a section representing a capability such as “Dodge,” andtwo sections representing an action such as “Miss” separated by one ofthe other sections.

Some attack parameters may also include a predetermined value assignedor corresponding thereto. For example, the predetermined value mayrepresent a damage value or a defense value corresponding to an attackparameter representing an action. Moreover, the game indicia may includeother parameters such as a moving value for the piece 20 representing anallowable number of spaces or a maximum distance that the piece 20 iscan move in one turn.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom perspective view of one of the embodimentsof the retaining member 30 of the base 10. The retaining member 30 maybe formed from similar molded materials as the base member 10 a,including, but not limited to, molded ABS material. In this embodiment,the retaining member 30 has a ring shape and includes an inner ringportion 180 having an inner diameter which, as described above, issmaller than the outer diameter of the outer lip 120 of the supportmember 25. In certain configurations, the retaining member 30 alsoincludes an outer skirt portion 190 extending outwardly and downwardlyfrom an outer edge of the inner ring 180. A lower surface of the outerskirt portion 190 of the retaining member 30 abuts the upper surface ofthe base member 10 a when the retaining member 30 is engaged with thebase member 10 a.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the periphery of theouter skirt 190 is interrupted by a plurality of retaining fingers 200spaced about the circumference of the retaining member 30. As can beappreciated, the number of the retaining fingers 200 is not limited tothat shown in FIG. 4 and may vary depending on the size and the desiredconstruction of the game piece 20. In addition, the retaining fingers200 may be equally spaced about the retaining member's circumference ormay be provided at varying intervals. In the illustrative configurationshown in FIG. 4, each of the retaining fingers 200 is formed integrallywith the retaining member 30 to have a wall 201 projecting downwardlyfrom the inner ring 180 to an outwardly projecting portion 202.

As discussed above, each of the retaining fingers 200 is formed andpositioned so as to engage with a respective slot or recess 220 formedin the base member 10 a. FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of basemember 10 a which is adapted to engage with the retaining member 30 ofFIG. 4. In particular, FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of a bottom surfaceof the base member 10 a. As illustratively shown, the base member 10 aincludes a plurality of slots 220, each of which includes the firstportion 230 and the second portion 240. The first portion 230 has agreater width than the second portion 240 and is sized so as to allowone of the retaining fingers 200 to pass therethrough. The secondportion 240 is sized so that the width of the outwardly projectingportion 202 of the retaining finger 200 is greater than the secondportion 240.

In certain embodiments, the second portion 240 is formed by an inwardlyprojecting flange 250, an upper surface of which is co-extensive withthe upper surface of the base member 10 a. The thickness or height ofthe flange 250 is smaller than the height or thickness of the basemember 10 a, thus forming a notch or an indentation along the length ofthe flange 250.

When the retaining member 30 illustrated in FIG. 4 is used together withthe base member 10 a shown in FIG. 5, each of the retaining fingers 200is first inserted into the first portion 230 of the respective slot orrecess 220 in the base member 10 a. The retaining member 30 is thenrotated relative to the base member 10 a so that each of the retainingfingers 200 slides into the second portion 240 of the respective slot orrecess 220 in the base member 10 a. In this way, the outwardlyprojecting portion 202 of each retaining finger 220 is captured by therespective flange 250 forming the second slot portion 240 such that anupper surface of each outwardly projecting portion 202 abuts therespective flange 250. The narrower width of the second portion 240prevents the retaining finger 220 from disengaging from the base member10 a. Moreover, due to the smaller thickness of the flange 250 relativeto the thickness of the base member 10 a, the outer portion 202 of theretaining finger can be housed in the notch or indentation formed alongthe length of the flange 250. This illustrative configuration of theflange 250 prevents the outer portion 202 of the retaining finger 200captured by the flange 250 from protruding outwardly from the bottomsurface of the base member 10 a, so that the bottom surface of the basemember 10 a is leveled when the game piece 20 is in the assembled state.

FIGS. 6 and 7 schematically illustrate another embodiment of theretaining member 32 and the base member 10 b. In certain embodiments,the retaining member 32 has a ring shape and includes an inner ringportion 182 and an outer wall portion 192 extending downwardly from anouter edge of the inner ring portion 182. With reference to FIG. 7, theinner diameter of the inner ring portion 182 is smaller than the outerdiameter of the outer lip 120 of the support member 25, so that in anassembled state, the outer lip 120 is partially covered by the ringportion 182 of the retaining member 32. The outer diameter of the innerring portion 182 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outerlip 120 so as to allow the support member 25 to freely rotate relativeto the retaining member 32. In certain embodiments, the base member 10 bis provided with a plurality of slightly raised, arcuate segments 262 onits upper surface spaced a small distance from the lateral edge of basemember 10 b. The distance of the arcuate segments from the lateral edgeof the base member 10 b is selected so that an upper edge of each ofarcuate segments 262 opposes a lower surface of the outer lip 120 of thesupport member 25. Accordingly, lateral forces exerted by a player onthe retaining member 32 will be absorbed by the arcuate segments 262without resulting in a permanent deformation of the support member 25that causes the surface of outer lip 120 to come in contact with thesurface of the base member 10 b when the support member 25 spins on thebase member 10 b. The arcuate segments 262 also serve as guides formounting the retaining member 32 on the base member 10 b.

As illustratively shown in FIG. 6, in certain embodiments, the retainingmember 32 includes a plurality of retaining fingers 200 a formed at thelower periphery of the outer wall portion 192. In particular, the lowerperiphery of the outer wall portion 192 is interrupted by the retainingfingers 200 a spaced about the circumference of the retaining member,wherein each of the retaining fingers 200 a includes a wall 203projecting downwardly from the lower periphery of the outer wall portion192 and an inwardly projecting portion 204. As discussed above withrespect to FIG. 4, the number of, and the intervals between, theretaining fingers 200 a may vary.

As also illustratively shown in FIG. 6, in certain embodiments, the basemember 10 b adapted to engage with the retaining member 32 also shown inFIG. 6 includes a plurality of recesses 222 formed along the outerperiphery of the base member 10 b. Each of the recesses 222 is formedand positioned so as to engage with the respective retaining finger 200a formed on the retaining member 32. As illustrated in FIG. 6, eachrecess 222 extends inwardly from the outer periphery of the base member10 b and includes a first portion 232 and a second portion 242. Thedistance by which the first portion 232 extends inwardly from the outerperiphery of the base member 10 a is greater than the distance of theinward extension of the second portion 242, so that the width of thefirst portion 232 is greater than the width of the second portion 242.Particularly, the width of the first portion 232 is such that theinwardly projecting portion 204 of the respective retaining finger 200 acan be accommodated thereby and is allowed to pass therethrough. Thesecond portion 242 is sized so that it captures and engages with theinwardly projecting portion 204 of the retaining finger 200 a.

In certain embodiments, the second portion 242 of each recess 222 isformed by an outwardly projecting flange 252 having its upper surfaceco-extensive with the upper surface of the base member 10 b. Thethickness or height of the flange 252 is smaller than the thickness orheight of the base member 10 b, forming a notch or an indentation alongthe length of a lower surface of the flange 252.

When the retaining member 32 and the base member 10 b illustrated inFIG. 6 are used together, the base member 10 b is positioned relative tothe retaining member 32 so that each of the retaining fingers 200 a isinserted into the first portion 232 of the respective recess 222 in thebase member 10 b. The retaining member 32 is then rotated relative tothe base member 10 b so that each of the retaining fingers 200 iscaptured by the second portion 242 of the respective recess.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of the retainingmember 32 and the base member 10 b of FIG. 6 engaged with one another soas to capture the support member 25 therebetween. The configuration ofthe support member 25 shown in FIG. 7 is substantially similar to theconfiguration of the support member 25 described herein above withrespect to FIGS. 1-3. As can be seen in FIG. 7, the inner ring portion182 of the retaining member 32 captures the outer lip 120 of the supportmember 25 so that at least a portion of a lower surface of the innerring portion 182 is disposed in an adjoining relationship with the uppersurface of the outer lip 120. The cross-sectional view in FIG. 7 alsoshows the retaining finger 200 a (see also FIG. 6) extending downwardlyfrom the wall portion 192 of the retaining member 32 to the inwardlyprojecting portion 204. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the inwardlyprojecting portion 204 abuts the upper surface of the outwardlyprojecting flange 252 of the base member 10 b. The flange 252 thusprevents the retaining member 32 from disengaging from the base member10 b.

In certain embodiments, the outwardly projecting flange 252 may alsoinclude a locking projection 254 on a surface which comes into contactwith the respective retaining finger 200 a. FIG. 8 shows an enlargedview of the recess 222 circled as “A” in FIG. 6, and illustrates anexample of the locking projection 254 formed on an outwardly facingsurface of the flange 252. In other embodiments, the projection 254 maybe formed on the lower surface of the flange 252. As shown, the lockingprojection 254 has a rounded shape so as to permit the respectiveretaining finger 200 a to be passed over it when the support member 32is rotated relative to the base member 10 b. The locking projection 254functions to increase the resistance or friction between the abuttingsurfaces of the flange 252 and the respective retaining finger 200 awhen the retaining member 32 is engaged with the base member 10 b.

In certain embodiments, each of the retaining fingers 200 a includes anindentation sized so as to accommodate the locking projection 254 andlocated on a predetermined surface of the retaining finger 200 a and atposition so as to align with the locking projection 254 when theretaining member 32 is engaged with the base member 10 b. For example,each of the retaining fingers 200 a may include an indentation on aninner surface of the wall portion 203 to accommodate the lockingprojection 254 shown in FIG. 8. In the alternative, the indentation maybe located on an upper surface of the inwardly projecting portion 204 ofthe retaining finger 200 a to accommodate the locking projection 254located on the lower surface of the flange 252. While a rounded lockingprojection 254 is illustrated in FIG. 8, in certain embodiments this isreplaced by a locking projection having a square or rectangular crosssection or other cross-sectional shape.

In other embodiments, the flange 252 includes an indentation sized so asto accommodate the locking projection 254 formed on a predeterminedsurface of the retaining finger 200 a. In certain illustrativeembodiments, the locking projection 254 is formed on an inner surface ofthe wall portion 203, while the indentation adapted to accommodate thelocking projection 254 is located on the outwardly facing surface of theflange 252. In the alternative, the locking projection 254 may belocated on an upper surface of the inwardly projecting portion 204 ofthe retaining finger 200 a and is accommodated by the indentationlocated on the lower surface of the flange 252.

The shape of the locking projection 254 may vary and is preferablycurved so as to allow the retaining finger to pass over the flange.

Referring now to FIG. 7, in certain embodiments the base member 10 bincludes a raised platform 11 surrounding the post 10 b formed on theupper surface of the base member 10 b. In an assembled state illustratedin FIG. 7, this raised platform 11 supports the lowermost edge 24 of thebushing 22. In the illustrative configuration shown in FIG. 7, thelength of the bushing 22 is such that the lowermost edge 24 does notextend beyond a lowermost surface of the medial ring portion 110, i.e. alowermost edge of the outer lip 120. In this way, when the supportmember 25 is placed on a substantially flat surface, it is supported byat least the lowermost edge of its outer lip 120, and not only by thelowermost edge 24 of the bushing. In a configuration where the length ofthe bushing is such that its lowermost edge 24 is aligned with thelowermost edge of the outer lip 120, the support member 25 is supportedby both the lowermost edge of the outer lip 120 and the lowermost edge24 of the bushing 22 when it is placed on a substantially flat surface.Such configurations provide additional support and balance to thesupport member 25 when a user displays a representational figure (notshown for purposes of simplicity and clarity) on the support member 25.When the support member 25 is captured by the retaining member 32 andthe base member 10 b as shown in FIG. 7, the upper surface of the medialring portion 110, which may include game related indicia as describedherein above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, is preferably aligned withan upper surface of the inner ring portion 182, which may include theindex indicator as described above. In this way, a determination as towhich attack parameter of the game related indicia is registered withthe index indicator can be easily made by the user. In addition, asshown in FIG. 7, the lower surface of the outer lip 120 of the supportmember 25 is raised above the upper surface of the base member 10 b sothat the medial ring portion 110 is not in contact with the uppersurface of the base member 10 b. Such illustrative constructionminimizes friction between the base member 10 b and the support member25 when the support member 25 is rotated relative to the base member 10b. In the other illustrative configuration, the length of the bushing 22of the support member 25 may be adjusted so that the lowermost edge 24of the bushing extends beyond the lowermost surface of the medial ring110, i.e. lowermost surface of the outer lip 120 and such that when thesupport member 25 is used with the base member 10 b illustrated in FIGS.2 and 4, the lowermost surface of the medial ring portion 110, i.e. theouter lip 120, is slightly raised above the upper surface of the basemember 10 b.

Although not shown for purposes of clarity and simplicity, the basemember 10 b may be formed from a transparent or translucent material andthe game indicia may be provided on the upper surface of the medial ringportion 110 as well as on the lower surface of the medial ring portion110. In this way, the game indicia on the lower surface of the medialring portion 110 is visible through the transparent or translucent basemember 10 b when the support member 25 is captured by the base 10. Incertain embodiments, the game related indicia for determining the resultof attacking, as described in more detail herein below, is provided onthe upper surface of the medial ring portion 110, while other gamerelated indicia, such as character information about the game piece, isprovided on the lower surface of the medial ring portion 110. Characterinformation may include, but is not limited to, the name and dimensions,e.g. length and weight, of the representational figure 130 mounted onthe support member 25, and a collector number and rarity indicia foridentifying the number of the representational figure 130 and itspopularity or rarity. Character information may also include evolutionindicia to assist the players in determining which family ofrepresentational figures the game piece belongs to and for determining a“chain of evolution” when the game piece is “evolved” as described inmore detail herein below.

The game piece 20 described above can be used in a game for two or moreplayers. In certain embodiments, the game comprises the steps of eachplayer selecting a predetermined number of pieces 20 from a plurality ofpieces and each player executing a turn. During a player's turn, theplayer has an option of at least one of moving one of the player'sselected pieces from one location to another, and attacking one ofanother player's selected pieces using the player's selected piece.

In certain embodiments, when a player executes a turn wherein the playeruses one of his or her pieces to attack one of the other player'spieces, the result of the attack is determined by the player performinga predetermined action using the piece he or she used for the attack,i.e. the attacking piece, and the other player performing thepredetermined action using the piece which was attacked, i.e. thedefending piece. In certain embodiments, the predetermined actionperformed by the player and the other player comprises spinning theattacking piece and the defending piece, respectively, by applying aforce to the respective piece 20 so as to rotate the respective piece'ssupport member 25 relative to the base 10. The effect of the attack willdepend on the results of the two spins.

When a player chooses the option to move one of the player's pieces fromone location to another, the piece may be moved along a desired path ofmovement, such as to approach an opposing player's piece, unless thedesired path of movement of the piece is blocked by another piece. Incertain embodiments, the player's piece may be required to be adjacentto the other player's piece in order to attack that piece, and thus,movement of the player's piece may be required so as to approach theother player's piece. In certain embodiments, the distance by which apiece may be moved during the player's turn may be limited and themaximum allowed distance per turn may vary from one piece to another.For example, the maximum distance by which a piece may be moved duringthe player's turn may be included in the game related indicia 140displayed on the game piece 20.

After the player completes executing his or her turn, another player canthen execute a turn wherein this player has the same or similar optionsas the first or previous player had during his or her turn.

In certain embodiments, when the player executes a turn, the player hasan option of at least one of moving one of the player's pieces from onelocation to another, and attacking one of the opposing player's pieces,wherein the attacking is executed by rotating the support member 25relative to the base 10 of at least one of the attacking piece and thedefending piece. The effect of the attack will depend on the result ofthe rotation and can be determined by the game related indicia 140registered with the index indicator 260 when the support member 25 ofthe respective piece 20 comes to rest.

When such rotation, or spinning, of the piece 20 is used to determinethe effect of the attack by the attacking piece, the strength and natureof the attack will be indicated by the section 150, 160 of the gamerelated indicia 140 that comes to rest opposite the index indicator 260,or the pointer, following the spinning of at least one of the attackingpiece and the defending piece. The nature and the strength of thedefense of the defending piece can be similarly indicated by the section150, 160 of the game related indicia 140 representing one or more attackparameters that comes to rest opposite the index indicator 260. In anembodiment where both the attacking piece and the defending piece arerotated or spun to determine the effect of the attack by the attackingpiece, the strength and nature of the attack will typically bedetermined by the result of the spinning of the attacking piece and thestrength and nature of the defense will be determined by the result ofthe spinning of the defending piece. In an embodiment where only one ofthe attacking piece and the defending piece is rotated or spun todetermine the effect of the attack, the strength and nature of one ofthe attack or of the defense will be determined by the result of suchspinning, while the strength and nature of the other of the attack ordefense may be pre-defined by an indicia on the respective piece, or bythe players or the rules of the game.

If, as a result of the predetermined action performed by one or moreplayers as described above, it is determined that the defending piecesuffers more damage than the attacking figure, the defending piece isdefeated or “knocked out.” A defeated piece may be permanently ortemporarily removed from the game. The amount of damage suffered by eachpiece due to the attack is determined by the number of points assignedto the attack by each piece's attack. In certain embodiments, a player'spiece may also be defeated and removed from the game if it is surroundedby the opponent's pieces so as to prevent the player from moving thatpiece from one location to another.

As described above, in some embodiments the game related indicia 140 ofthe game piece 20 comprises one or more attack parameters. In certainembodiments, one or more of the attack parameters may represent acondition which allows the piece with such attack parameter to disablean opponent's game piece without defeating the opponent's piece, whensuch attack parameter is selected, e.g. by spinning. In particular, thenature of the disability represented by the condition attack parametercan be indicated by one or more sections 150, 160 of the game relatedindicia 140, and the condition attack parameter is selected when thesection representing such parameter comes to rest opposite the indexindicator after spinning the piece. The condition attack parameters mayinclude, but are not limited to, “asleep,” “burned,” “confused,”“frozen,” “paralyze,” “wait” and “poisoned,” and the effect of thedisability attack parameters may vary but can include an inability or areduced ability of the affected piece to attack or defend on asubsequent turn. For example, a piece which is “asleep,” “wait” or“frozen” may be unable to attack and/or move from one location toanother, while a piece which is “paralyzed,” “burned” or “poisoned” mayhave reduced attacking capabilities. In another example, if a piece isaffected by a “confused” condition, a different attack parameter may beselected than the parameter resting opposite the index indicator afterspinning the affected piece. A piece disabled by another piece as aresult of an attack can be marked or labeled, such as by placing acollar or other form of indicia around the disabled piece indicating thenature of the disability or condition.

In this illustrative embodiment, the method of playing a game for two ormore players comprises steps of each player selecting a predeterminednumber of first character items from a plurality of first characteritems and at least one second character item from a plurality of secondcharacter items, each player selecting game items including apredetermined number of second character game items comprisinginstructions for use with the second character items, and each playerexecuting a turn, wherein the player has one of a first option and asecond option. In some embodiments, each of the game items for use withthe second character items may be assigned a point value and the maximumnumber of such game items that can be selected by each player may dependon a total maximum allowable point value of the second character gameitems selected by each user.

In this embodiment, the first option for executing the player's turncomprises at least one of moving one of the player's selected firstcharacter items from one location to another and attacking one ofanother player's selected first character items using the player'sselected first character item. The first option may be performed in asimilar fashion as in other embodiments described above. The secondoption comprises using the player's selected second character item withone of the player's selected game items for use with the secondcharacter item, and executing instructions on the game item. The firstand second character items may be in the form of one or more of tradingcards, game pieces as described above, or any other suitable form. Incertain embodiments, the first character items represent a variety ofplaying characters, while the second character items represent traineror instructor characters. The characteristics and capabilities of thefirst character items are different from those of the second characteritems. For example, in some embodiments, the first character items maybe moved and used to attack other character items, while the secondcharacter items are stationary and may be used only together with thegame item that provides instructions for use of the second characteritem. The game items for use with the second character items may be inthe form of trading cards or any other suitable form. These game itemsinclude game items which may be used with any of the second characteritems and game items which may be used only with one or more designatedsecond character items.

In certain embodiments, the method of playing a game may comprise a stepof the player executing a turn, wherein the player has an option ofperforming a predetermined action using the player's second characteritem to determine whether the game item for use with the secondcharacter item is activated, and if the game item is activated,executing instructions provided on the activated game item. If the gameitem is not activated, the player's turn ends and another player has achance to execute a turn wherein another player has the same or similaroptions as the first or previous player during that player's turn.

In an embodiment where the second character item is in the form of agame piece, the predetermined action to determine whether the game itemis activated may comprise spinning the second character piece by causingthe support member of the piece to rotate with respect to its base. Inthis illustrative case, the game related indicia of the second characterpiece includes at least two parameters, wherein a first parameterindicates a success in activating the game item and a second parameterindicates a failure in activating the second character item. Whether ornot the second character game item is activated is dependent on theposition of the game related indicia when the support member stopsrotating with respect to the base of the second character piece. Inparticular, the parameter which rests opposite the index indicator whenthe support member stops rotating determines whether the game item isactivated. If the game item is activated, the player executesinstructions indicated on the game item and disposes of the game itemafter it has been used. In certain embodiments, the game item may bemarked such as by marking the game item or by changing the position ofthe game item while the game item is in use.

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative example of the second character game piece500. As illustratively shown in FIG. 9, the construction of the secondcharacter game piece 500 is similar to the construction of the gamepiece 20 shown in FIG. 2 or FIGS. 6-8, and therefore, detaileddescription of the same features is omitted. As shown, the secondcharacter game piece 500 includes a support member 525 and a base 510.The base 510 includes a base member 510 a and a retaining member 530adapted to engage with the base member 510 a so as to capture thesupport member 525 and to allow the support member 525 to freely rotatewith respect to the base 510. The support member 525 supports arepresentational figure 532 representing the second character. The gamepiece 500 also includes an index indicator 562 and game related indicia540 which includes a first section 550 representing success (in thiscase labeled “Success”) in activating a game item for use with the piece500 and a second section 560 representing failure (in this case labeled“Miss”) in activating the game item. In this illustrative embodiment,the game related indicia 540 is in a form of a sticker affixed to thesupport member 525 and the index indicator 562 is in the form of anarrow or a pointer provided on the retaining member 530 of the base 510.As described above, the piece 500 is spun by rotating the support member525 with respect to the base 510 so as to cause the game related indicia540 to rotate with respect to the index indicator 562. When the supportmember 525 comes to a stop after being rotated, that section 550, 560which is registered with, or opposite, the index indicator 562 isselected to represent the determination as to whether the game item isactivated.

In certain embodiments, the method of playing a game for two or moreplayers further includes a step of using a deciding character, which maybe represented by a deciding piece, such as a judge piece. The decidingcharacter may be used to decide a variety of issues, such as whichplayer takes the first turn or to settle a disagreement or a challengebetween two or more players.

In an illustrative embodiment, the deciding character piece has asimilar construction as the game piece 20 described above and includesgame related indicia representing at least a first deciding option and asecond deciding option. The first and second deciding options may beshown as different color sections, such as a dark section and a lightsection. One way of using the deciding piece is to have one player spinthe deciding piece to cause the support member of the deciding piece torotate relative to the base, while the other player selects a section ofthe game related indicia to represent his or her position or side. Forexample, to determine which player takes the first turn, one player canspin the deciding piece while the other player can select the section ofthe game related indicia, and if, when the deciding piece comes to rest,the index indicator points to the section selected by the player, theselecting player takes the first turn. Otherwise, the spinning playertakes the first turn. In another example, the deciding piece may also beused to determine whether a player should spin the player's characterpiece again if a previous spin of the player's character piece lastedless than a predetermined number of seconds or made less than apredetermined number of rotations.

An illustrative example of a game for two or more players which employsthe game pieces 20, 500, the steps described above and a method ofplaying the same will now be described. In an illustrative embodiment,the game comprises a plurality of game pieces, each of which representsa character and a field of play. In playing the game, each playerselects a predetermined number of game pieces and has an option of usingone or more of his or her selected game pieces during his or her turn toattack one or more game pieces of an opposing player. The object of thegame can be one of the following: defeating all of opposing player'sgame pieces and/or disabling all of the opposing player's game pieces sothat the opposing player is unable to execute a turn, or receiving apredetermined number of points and/or reaching a predetermined goal orlocation on the field of play.

In certain embodiments, the field of play includes a play area in whichthe players can move the game pieces from one location to another andcan attack opposing players' game pieces. The field of play may alsoinclude peripheral areas which may be used to provide spaces for eachplayer's selected game pieces. In certain embodiments, the field of playalso includes a holding area where defeated game pieces are placed. Inparticular, the holding area may have a limited capacity and, if theholding area has reached its maximum capacity, one of the game pieces inthe holding area is removed therefrom before another defeated game pieceis placed into this area. The holding area may be located in one or moreof the peripheral areas of the field of play.

In certain embodiments the field of play is in a form of a playmat. Inthe alternative, the field of play is in the form of a game board. Anillustrative example of a playmat 300 for a two-player game is shown inFIG. 10. As shown, the playmat 300 includes a play area 302 marked as“Field” and a peripheral area for each of the players. In this case, theplaymat 300 includes a first peripheral area 400 a that can be used byone of the players and a second peripheral area 400 b which can be usedby the other player. The play area 302 includes a plurality of fieldpositions 320 joined by a plurality of pathways 310. The field positions320 represent permissible stationary positions for the game pieces 20 inthe play area 302. The pathways 310 represent permissible paths formoving the game pieces from one field position 320 to another.

As shown in FIG. 10, the field positions 320 may include special typesof field positions 320, including entry positions 330 a, 330 b and goalpositions 340 a, 340 b. Entry positions 330 a, 330 b representpositions, or entry points, on the play area 302 at which a player mayhave his or her game pieces 20, or character pieces, enter the play area302. In this illustrative example, two entry positions 330 a areprovided adjacent the first peripheral area 400 a and two entrypositions 330 b are provided adjacent the second peripheral area 400 b.The goal positions 340 a, 340 b represent the position that one of theopposing player's character items or pieces has to reach in order to winthe game. The goal position 340 a is provided adjacent the firstperipheral area 400 a at a location between the entry positions 330 aand represents the goal position that a player starting from theperipheral area 400 b needs to reach using one of his or her characterpieces in order to win the game. The goal position 340 b is providedadjacent the second peripheral area 400 b at a location between theentry positions 330 b and represents the goal position that the otherplayer starting from the peripheral area 400 a needs to reach using oneof his or her character pieces. It is understood that the locations ofthe entry positions 330 a, 330 b and of the goal positions 340 a, 340 bon the play area 302 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 10 and mayvary depending on the design of the play area 302. It is also understoodthat the arrangement of the pathways 310 between the field positions 320may also vary and is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 10.

As also illustratively shown in FIG. 10, each peripheral area 400 a, 400b of the field of play 300 includes a starting section 410 a, 410 blabeled as “Bench” in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 shows a more detailed view of oneof the peripheral areas 400 a of the field of play 300.

As shown in FIG. 10, each starting section 410 a, 410 b is designed tohold the character items or game pieces 20 selected by the respectiveplayer. The starting section 410 a, 410 b may have a limited capacity.For example, each starting section 410 a, 410 b shown in FIG. 10 has thecapacity to hold a maximum of six pieces 20. As described in more detailherein below, each player may move one of his or her pieces from theplayer's respective starting section 410 a, 410 b to the respectiveentry position 330 a, 330 b, when executing his or her turn in the game,so that the piece 20 enters the play area 302.

Each of the peripheral areas 400 a, 400 b may include a separate areafor placing or holding the second character item, such as a trainerpiece 500. As shown in FIG. 10, each peripheral area 400 a, 400 bincludes a trainer space 420 a, 420 b for accommodating the respectiveplayer's trainer piece 500. As discussed above, the trainer piece 500can be used in the game together with a game item which includesinstructions for its use with the trainer piece 500. In thisillustrative embodiment, the game items for use with the trainer pieces500 comprise a plurality of cards, also referred to as trainer cards,each of which provides instructions for using the trainer piece.

As mentioned above, each of the peripheral areas 400 a, 400 b may alsoinclude a holding area 430 a, 430 b having a limited capacity forholding defeated or removed character pieces 20. As shown, eachperipheral area 400 a, 400 b includes a holding area 430 a, 430 b,labeled as “Pokemon Center,” which includes two spaces 432 a, 434 a, 432b, 434 b for accommodating a maximum of two defeated character pieces.When a player's piece is defeated, it is first placed in the first space432 a, 432 b of the player's respective holding area 430 a, 430 b. Ifanother piece is already present in the first space 432 a, 432 b, thatpiece is moved into the second space 434 a, 434 b of the player'srespective holding area 430 a, 430 b. If, when a player's piece isdefeated, the player's respective holding area 430 a, 430 b is alreadyholding two defeated pieces, the piece which is in the second space 434a, 434 b is removed from the holding area 430 a, 430 b and returned tothe player's respective starting area 410 a, 410 b. In this case, thepiece which is located in the first space 432 a, 432 b is moved into therespective second space 434 a, 434 b, so that the newly defeated piececan be placed in the respective first space 432 a, 432 b of the holdingarea 430 a, 430 b.

Although not shown for purposes of simplicity and clarity in FIGS. 10and 11, the peripheral areas 400 a, 400 b may be designed so as to alsoinclude a space for accommodating each of the player's trainer cards. Insome embodiments, the field of play 300 also includes a separate areafor accommodating the deciding piece 600, such as the judge piece.

An illustrative method of playing a game using the above-describedpieces 20, 500, 600, game items and playmat 300 will now be described.In this illustrative case, the game is played by two users or players,wherein a first player uses the first peripheral area 400 a and a secondplayer uses the second peripheral area 400 b. Before taking turns, eachof the players chooses a predetermined number of game pieces 20representing the player's characters and a second character piece 500representing the trainer piece. In this illustrative case, the maximumnumber of game pieces 20 that each player can choose is six pieces 20corresponding to the capacity of the starting area 410 a, 410 b for eachplayer. Each player then places his or her selected character pieces 20on the spaces provided in his or her starting area 410 a, 410 b and alsoplaces his or her trainer piece 500 on the respective trainer space 420a, 420 b. In certain embodiments of the invention, each player's gamepieces 20 may be identified by a predetermined indicia or color. Forexample, if game pieces 20 shown in FIGS. 1-9 are used by the players,each player's game pieces 20 can be identified by a predetermined colorof the base 10 of each of the game pieces 20. That is, the base 10 ofone player's game pieces 20 has a different color than the base 10 ofthe other players' game pieces 20. Thus, the base 10 of each game piece20 used by a user should have the same color as the base 10 of each ofthe other game pieces 20 used by that user.

Each of the players also selects game items, including a predeterminednumber of trainer cards. The maximum allowable number of trainer cardsper player may also depend on the point value of the cards selected byeach player. For example, the trainer cards may include trainer cardshaving a point value of 50 and trainer cards having a point value of100, and each player may be allowed to select trainer cards totaling amaximum of 300 points.

In certain embodiments, one or more of a player's character pieces maybe evolved or exchanged for a character piece having more advanced orsuperior attack parameters, e.g. attack parameters having higherstrength values. In such embodiments, each player is allowed to selectup to three “evolved” character pieces and place them on a side of thefield of play 300. In the alternative, a marker item may be used to showthat a character piece is “evolved.” The player's selected “evolved”character pieces should correspond to the player's selected characterpieces, such that each of the selected “evolved” character pieces isfrom the same “chain of evolution” as at least one of the selectedcharacter pieces. In certain embodiments, a player's character piece canbe evolved if that piece defeats one of opponent's character pieces in abattle.

In certain embodiments, evolution of a character piece affects theattack parameters of that piece. For example, if a character piece isevolved after defeating one of the opposing character pieces, thestrength value for each of the attack parameters of the evolved piece isincreased by 10 points, and if this character piece is evolved againlater in the game, then the strength value of each attack parameter isagain increased by 10 points.

After the players select their respective character pieces, trainerpieces and game items, the game is played by each player taking a turn.The object of the game is to reach the opposing player's goal position340 a, 340 b, which is adjacent to the opposing player's peripheral area400 a, 400 b. In order to determine which player will take the firstturn, the deciding piece, also referred to as the judge piece 600, canbe used. As discussed above, one of the players spins the judge piece600 by rotating its support member with respect to its the base, whilethe other player selects a section of the game related indicia on thesupport member of judge piece 600. If the section selected by the otherplayer is registered with the index indicator on the base of the judgepiece 600 when the support member stops rotating, then the selectingplayer takes the first turn. If, however, the selected section is notregistered with the index indicator when the support member stopsrotating, then the spinning player takes the first turn.

When a player takes a turn, the player has an option of selecting acharacter piece 20 from the player's starting area 410 a, 410 b andmoving the piece to the play area 302 via one of the entry positions 330a, 330 b adjacent that player's starting area 410 a, 410 b. If theplayer already has one or more character pieces in the play area 302,the player may instead choose to move one of those character pieces fromone field position to another. As discussed above, the game relatedindicia 140 on the game piece may include the allowable distance, or thenumber of moving points, that the piece can travel during the player'sturn. The moving points indicated on the piece being moved willdetermine the maximum distance, or number of field positions 320, thatthe piece may move during the player's turn. For example, if a piece hasone moving point, then it can only be moved from one field position toan adjacent field position connected by a pathway 310. When the playermoves one of the character pieces from his or her respective startingarea 410 a, 410 b, the character piece being moved is required to haveat least one moving point to enter the play area 302 at the respectiveentry position 330 a, 330 b, and any moving points remaining after thepiece is placed on the entry position can be used to move the piecefurther through the play area 302. In this illustrative embodiment, acharacter piece 20 is not permitted to move to a field position 320which is already taken up by another character piece 20 or move througha field position 320 which is taken up by another piece. Thus, forexample, if an entry position 330 a, 330 b is taken up by a characterpiece, another character piece will not be permitted to enter the playarea 302 using that entry position 330 a, 330 b. Such blocking of acharacter piece's movement may in some cases be used to “knock out” ordefeat one of opposing player's pieces. In particular, in thisillustrative game, a character piece can be defeated, and thereafterremoved to the holding area, if it is surrounded by the opposingplayer's pieces blocking it from moving in any direction. In certainembodiments, such blocking technique may supersede a player's movementof his or her character piece into the goal position. In particular, ifa player moves his or her character piece into the goal position, butthat character piece is surrounded by opposing player's characterpieces, then the surrounded character piece is removed into the holdingarea, rather than the player winning the game.

During his or her turn, the player may also have an option of using oneof his or her character pieces to attack one of the opposing player'scharacter pieces. This option may be limited by the location of theplayer's pieces on the play area 302. In particular, the player may berequired to first move the character piece before using that piece toattack an opposing player's character piece. Moreover, in someembodiments, the player's attacking character piece may be required tobe in a field position adjacent to the field position of the opponent'scharacter piece before it can attack the opponent's character piece. Incertain embodiments, however, the player may be able to use his or hercharacter piece to execute a long-range attack against an opponent'scharacter piece from predetermined distance. The maximum allowabledistance and the strength value for the long-range attack may beprovided by the game related indicia 140 on the player's character piece20.

When the player uses one of his or her pieces, i.e. attacking piece, toattack the opponent's character piece, i.e. defending piece, the playerspins the attacking piece as described above while the opponent spinsthe defending piece. The effect of the attack is determined by theresults of the spins. If the result of the spin of one of the defendingpiece and the attacking piece cannot be determined, such as when theindex indicator registers with a line dividing two attack parameters,the judge piece 600 may be used to determine the result of the spin. Inthe alternative, one or both players may be allowed to spin theirrespective pieces again.

In certain embodiments, only the attacking piece is spun. For example,if the player uses one of his or her character piece for a long-rangeattack against one of the opponent's pieces and the opponent's defendingpiece's long-range attack strength value is zero, then only theattacking piece is spun to determine whether the long-range attack issuccessful.

In certain embodiments, the type of each attack parameter on the gamerelated indicia of the character piece may be represented by a colorwhich defines priority of that attack parameter relative to the othertypes of attack parameters. An attack parameter with a higher prioritywill defeat an attack parameter with a lower priority. In thisillustrative example, the attack parameters are represented by fourdifferent colors, having priorities from the highest to the lowest asfollows: a first color represents an attack parameter having the highestpriority and supersedes all other types of attack parameters, a secondcolor represents a condition attack parameter with a predeterminedstrength value which has a higher priority than, and supersedes, anattack parameter of a third color, but a lower priority than the attackparameter represented by the first color, a third color represents anordinary attack parameter having a predetermined strength value, and afourth color represents a missed attack, i.e. “miss,” having the lowestpriority.

If the spinning of the attacking and the defending pieces results in twoordinary attack parameters of the third color being selected, then thepiece with a higher strength value for the selected attack parameterwins the battle, and the piece which has a lower strength value for theselected parameter is defeated. Similarly, if the spinning of the piecesresults in two attack parameters of the second color being selected,then the piece which has a higher strength value for the selected attackparameter wins the battle. If the spinning of the attacking anddefending pieces results in the parameter of the first color beingselected on the attacking piece and the parameter of the second or thirdcolor being selected on the defending piece, then neither piece isaffected as a result of the attack unless the first color includesadditional instructions, which then result. If the strength values ofboth selected parameters are the same, then the result of the attack isa draw. If the spinning of the attacking piece and the defending pieceresults in two attack parameters of the first color being selected, thenthe result of the attack is a draw. Finally, if both of the selectedattack parameters are of the fourth color, then the result of the attackis a draw. When the result of the attack is a draw, then neither theattacking piece nor the defending piece is affected or damaged.

In certain embodiments, the attack parameter having the second color mayinclude instructions for one or more actions to be performed by theplayer of the game piece. If the spinning of the attacking figureresults in the parameter of the second color being selected and thespinning of the defending figure results in the parameter of the thirdcolor or the fourth color being selected, then the player of theattacking figure must perform as instructed by the selected attackparameter of the second color. If the spinning results in the parameterof the second color being selected on the defending figure and theparameter of the third or fourth color being selected on the attackingfigure, then the player of the defending figure must perform whatever isinstructed by the parameter of the selected second color parameter. Ifthe spinning results in the parameter of the second color being selectedon both the attacking figure and the defending figure, then the playerwhose selected parameter has a higher strength value must perform asinstructed by the selected parameter of the second color.

In certain embodiments, the attack parameter of the third color may alsoinclude one or more conditions and/or instructions for affecting the oneor more conditions in addition to the strength value. For example, gamerelated indicia on a game piece may include an attack parameter of thethird color which has a predetermined strength value of the attack andinstructions that if the game piece is defeated, then the defending gamepiece becomes affected by a predetermined condition. It is understoodthat the instructions and the conditions may vary from one game piece toanother.

Although this illustrative example describes four colors as defining thepriorities of attack parameters, it is understood that a differentnumber of colors may be used. Also, indicia other than colors can beused to define the priorities of attack parameters. Moreover, specialindicia may be used to represent an attack parameter having a varyingpriority. In this example, a fifth color is used as the special indiciafor attack parameters which have a higher priority than the attackparameters of the second color, but are treated as ordinary attackparameters, i.e. of the third color, relative to all other types ofattack parameters.

As described above, attack parameters indicated by the game relatedindicia 140 on the character pieces 20 may include one or more attackparameters representing a condition. Such condition attack parameters,when selected as a result of spinning the respective piece, are used todisable the opponent's character piece without defeating the opponent'spiece. The disability of an affected character piece may be indicated bycondition indicia which represents the condition by which the characterpiece is affected. Such condition indicia may be in the form of a collarwhich indicates the name of the condition and is placed on or around theaffected piece.

In this illustrative example, the condition attack parameters include“asleep,” “burned,” “confused,” “frozen,” “paralyze” and “poisoned”conditions, each of which has a different disabling effect on thecharacter piece affected thereby. In this illustrative example, acharacter piece can be affected by only one condition at any particulartime, so that a subsequent condition replaces any condition whichalready affects the character piece. When a character piece affected bya condition is defeated and placed into the holding area, that characterpiece continues to be affected by the condition until it is removed fromthe holding area and is moved to the starting area, as described in moredetail below. Moreover, if a character affected by a condition isevolved as described above, the condition is removed from the “evolved”character.

The specific conditions that can affect a character piece in certainembodiments will now be described. If a character piece is affected bythe condition “asleep,” such character piece cannot move or attackduring the respective player's turn, and cannot be used for blockingmovement of other character pieces in the play area 302 or to surroundan opponent's character piece. The “asleep” condition can be removed bythe player moving another one of his character pieces to come in contactwith the piece affected by the “asleep” condition, in which case, theplayer's turn ends immediately after this condition is removed. The“asleep” condition is also removed from the affected character piecewhen the opposing player uses one of his or her pieces to attack theaffected character piece. The condition “burned” has a negative effecton the attack abilities of the affected character piece. In particular,before the “burned” character piece is spun so as to select an attackparameter, one of the attack parameters is replaced with a “Miss” attackparameter which has no effect on the opposing character. In addition,the strength value of any attack parameter selected as a result of thespinning of the “burned” character piece is reduced by a predeterminednumber of points, e.g. 10 points. If a character piece is affected by a“confused” condition, then a different attack parameter than the attackparameter registered with the index indicator, is selected as the resultof spinning of the affected piece. For example, if a first attackparameter is registered with the index indicator when the “confused”character piece comes to a stop, the player has to move the game relatedindicia of the “confused” piece in a predetermined direction so that anadjacent attack parameter is selected as the result of the spin insteadof the first attack parameter. If a character piece is affected by the“frozen” condition, then its attacking ability is affected so that theselected attack parameter is always a “miss” attack parameter. If acharacter piece is affected by the “paralyze” or the “poisoned”condition, then its attacking ability is affected so that the strengthvalue of any attack parameter selected as a result of the spinning isreduced by a predetermined number of points, e.g. 20 points if a pieceis “poisoned.” In other embodiments, when a character piece is affectedby the “paralyze” condition, one of the attack parameters ispre-selected by the player to be replaced with a “Miss” attack parameterwhich has no effect on the opposing character.

Although this illustrative example provides six conditions that can berepresented by the attack parameters, it is understood that a greater ora smaller number of conditions can be used in the game. In addition, theeffects and names of the conditions may vary depending on the rules andthe design of the game. Thus, for example, the “asleep” condition mayalso be referred to as a “wait” condition. In certain embodiments, theattack parameters of a game piece may include a condition that has aneffect of increasing or decreasing the strength value of one or moreattack parameters of the game piece or of the opponent's game piece.

In certain embodiments, some of the character pieces may also possessone or more special abilities which can be represented by the gamerelated indicia. For example, a special ability of a character piece maybe represented by a border on the label 140 affixed to the supportmember 25 of the piece 20 and a description of the special abilitywithin this border. In this illustrative example, if a piece possesses aspecial ability, this special ability will have priority over and willsupersede any attack parameters selected during the attack.

In certain embodiments, the strength value of the selected parameter asa result of spinning the game piece may be increased if a predeterminedrequirement is satisfied after performing an additional predeterminedaction. In this illustrative example, the additional predeterminedaction is performing a further spin of the game piece and thepredetermined requirement is selecting the same attack parameter as inthe previous spin after performing the further spin. Namely, if thespinning of the game piece results in a first attack parameter beingselected, then the strength value of the first attack parameter ifincreased if a further spinning of the game piece is performed andresults in the same first attack parameter being selected. It isunderstood that in some embodiments, the additional predetermined actionmay be repeated so as to further increase the strength value of theselected attack parameter until the predetermined requirement forincreasing the strength value is not satisfied.

If it is determined based on the spin results that one of the attackingpiece and the defending piece has lost the battle, this defeated pieceis temporarily removed from the game and is placed into the holding area430 a, 430 b of its player. As described above, the holding area has alimited capacity and when the maximum capacity of the holding area isreached, one character piece must be removed from the holding areabefore a newly defeated piece is placed in this area. When a playerremoves a piece from the holding area, that piece is placed in theplayer's starting area. However, in some embodiments, this piece may notbe immediately used by the player during his or her turn. For example,in this illustrative case, the player is not permitted to move any pieceplaced into the starting area from the holding area during the player'sturn immediately following the piece's removal from the holding area.

In this illustrative example, instead of moving one of the characterpieces or attacking the opposing player's piece, the player also has anoption to use one of the player's selected trainer cards with theplayer's trainer piece 500 during his or her turn. If the player choosesto use one of the selected trainer cards, the player has to first notifythe opposing player of the selected trainer card that the player intendsto use and attempt to activate the selected trainer card before using itwith the trainer piece 500. As discussed above, to activate the trainercard, the player may spin his or her trainer piece 500 so that the gameindicia on the support member is rotated with respect to the indexindicator on the base. If a parameter representing failure to activatethe trainer card is registered with the index indicator when the supportmember comes to rest, then the selected trainer card is discarded andthe player's turn ends. If a parameter representing successfulactivation of the trainer card is registered with the index indicatorwhen the support member comes to rest, then the player has activated andmay use the trainer card with the trainer piece 500. The trainer card isused by performing all of the instructions indicated on the trainercard. In certain embodiments, if the instructions on the trainer cardare in conflict with a special ability of a character piece, then thetrainer card instructions will supersede the special ability. To showthat the trainer card is being used, the position of the trainer cardmay be changed or a marker may be placed on the trainer card. Forexample, trainer cards in use may be placed face down to indicate thatthey are being used. After the trainer card is used, it is removed fromthe game.

A player's turn ends after the player uses the trainer card, or after itis determined that the trainer card is not activated. If instead ofusing the trainer card with the trainer piece 500, the player selects atleast one of moving one of the player's character pieces and attackingthe opposing player's piece, the player's turn ends when this option,i.e. the moving and/or the attack, is completed. After the player's turnends, the opposing player's turn begins, during which the opposingplayer has the same or similar options as the player.

The rules of the illustrative game described above may be modified bythe players. For example, the game may include a “first piece entryrule,” wherein the maximum allowable moving distance, or the movingpoints, of any character piece that enters the play area 302 first isreduced by a predetermined amount, e.g. 1 point. Moreover, during anattack, the players may be required to spin their respective pieces fora minimum predetermined period of time, e.g. 3 seconds, and if one ormore of the pieces spins for less than the minimum predetermined periodof time, the respective player may be required to re-spin his or herpiece. Any decisions as to whether a player should re-spin his or hercharacter piece 20 can be decided by the judge piece 600.

The rules of the game may also be modified to limit the time each playermay spend on his or her turn, or the total amount of time that eachplayer may spend on his or her combined turns. In the case where thetotal time of each player is limited, a chess clock may be used toregulate the turns of each player, and after a player's predeterminedtime expires, the player may be required to remove from the game allcharacter pieces present in his or her respective holding area. Inaddition, after the expiration of the predetermined period of time, thegame may be terminated and the players may determine the winner of thegame based on the number of character pieces each player has remainingon the field of play 300, or based on the value of the total trainercards that each player has remaining at the end of the game, or based onthe total number of moving points that each player's character pieceshave remaining at the end of the game.

In all cases it is understood that the above-described arrangements andmethods are merely illustrative of the many possible specificembodiments which represent applications of the present invention.Numerous and varied other arrangements, including use of differentmaterials and various configurations of components of the game piecesand the methods of playing the game, can be readily devised inaccordance with the principles of the present invention withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, thegame and the method of playing a game can be used with game pieceshaving varying constructions, which are not limited to the constructiondescribed herein above, or with other forms of game pieces including,but not limited to, trading cards. Moreover, the game pieces may beemployed in other games such as sports games, e.g. baseball or football,adventure games, auto racing games or the like, and used with othermethods of playing a game.

1. An article of manufacture for use by a player in a game or as acollectible figure, comprising: a first portion comprising arepresentational figure; and a second portion affixed to the firstportion and comprising a coupling member arranged to be coupled with apreexisting support structure so that a user of the article ofmanufacture is enabled to couple it with the support structure anduncouple it therefrom.
 2. An article of manufacture of claim 1, whereinthe coupling member is arranged to couple with the preexisting supportstructure so that the coupling member is rotatable thereon.
 3. Anarticle of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the coupling member isarranged to rotate freely on the preexisting support structure.
 4. Anarticle of manufacture of claim 3, wherein the preexisting supportstructure includes a support portion and the coupling member includes amounting portion arranged to fit over the support portion so that thecoupling member is adapted to be mounted on the preexisting supportstructure.
 5. An article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein the secondportion includes a central member having an upper surface, therepresentational figure being affixed to the upper surface, and a medialring portion extending outwardly from the central member, and whereinthe mounting portion is formed on a lower surface of the central memberso that the mounting portion is adapted to be mounted on a supportportion formed on an upper surface of the preexisting support structure.6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein the mounting portionhas an inner surface adapted to fit closely over a post of thepreexisting support structure having a substantially cylindrical shape.7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the mounting portionhas a predetermined length such that a lowermost edge of the mountingportion is supported by an upper surface of the preexisting supportstructure.
 8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein at leastone of the coupling member and the preexisting support structure isformed from a molded plastic having a low friction surface.
 9. Thearticle of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the molded plastic comprisesmolded ABS.
 10. A game piece, comprising the article of manufacture ofclaim and said preexisting support structure, the article of manufacturebeing supported by the preexisting support structure and freelyrotatable thereon.
 11. The game piece of claim 10, wherein one of thearticle of manufacture and the preexisting support structure comprisesan index indicator and the other one of the article of manufacture andthe preexisting support structure comprises game related indicia so thatwhen the article of manufacture is rotated with respect to thepreexisting support structure, the index indicator is registered withthe game related indicia.
 12. The game piece of claim 11, wherein therepresentational figure is at least one of a figure representing ananimal, a character, a person, a marker, a scoring device, a recordkeeping device, a structure, sports equipment, a weapon, a tool, avehicle and a device.
 13. The game piece of claim 11, wherein thepreexisting support structure includes a base and a retaining memberreleasably engaged with the base, and wherein the coupling member iscaptured by the base and the retaining member.
 14. The game piece ofclaim 13, wherein the retaining member is rotatable relative to the baseto releasably engage the retaining member with the base.
 15. The gamepiece of claim 14, wherein the retaining member includes a plurality ofretainer fingers formed integrally with the retaining member and thebase includes a plurality of recesses, the plurality of retainer fingersbeing arranged to engage with the respective recesses.
 16. The gamepiece of claim 15, wherein each recess includes a first recess portionarranged to pass a respective one of the retainer fingers therethroughand a second recess portion arranged to capture the respective one ofthe retainer fingers to engage the retaining member to the base.
 17. Thegame piece of claim 16, wherein the first recess portion has a widthgreater than a width of the second recess portion.
 18. The game piece ofclaim 11, wherein the second portion includes a central member having aflat upper surface, the representational figure being affixed to theflat upper surface, and a medial ring portion extending outwardly fromthe central member.
 19. The game piece of claim 18, wherein thepreexisting support structure includes a base and a retaining memberreleasably engaged with the base, and wherein the second portionincludes an outer lip portion adapted to be captured by the base and theretaining member.
 20. The game piece of claim 19, wherein the outer lipportion comprises a ring-shaped lip portion and wherein a first segmentof the outer lip portion extends downwardly from the central member anda second segment of the outer lip portion extends outwardly from thefirst segment.
 21. The game piece of claim 19, wherein the retainingmember comprises a ring-shaped member and wherein an inner periphery ofthe retaining member is smaller than an outer periphery of the outer lipportion so that the outer lip portion is captured between the retainingmember and the base when they are releasably engaged.
 22. The game pieceof claim 21, wherein the retaining member includes an outer skirtportion extending at least downwardly from an outer edge of thering-shaped member and wherein a lower surface of the outer skirtportion abuts an upper surface of the base.
 23. The game piece of claim22, wherein the retaining member includes a plurality of retainerfingers formed integrally with the retaining member and interrupting thelower surface of the outer skirt portion, and the base includes aplurality of recesses, each of the plurality of retainer fingers beingarranged to engage with a respective one of the recesses.
 24. The gamepiece of claim 23, wherein the retainer fingers are equally spaced aboutthe lower surface of the outer skirt portion of the retaining member.25. The game piece of claim 23, wherein each retainer finger includes adownwardly projecting portion and an outwardly projecting portion, andeach recess includes a first recess portion arranged to pass theoutwardly projecting portion of the respective retainer fingertherethrough and a second recess portion arranged to engage with theoutwardly projecting portion to capture the retainer finger.
 26. Thegame piece of claim 25, wherein the first recess portion has a widthgreater than a width of the second recess portion.
 27. The game piece ofclaim 26, wherein the second recess portion is formed by an inwardlyprojecting flange, an upper surface of the inwardly projecting flangebeing co-extensive with an upper surface of the base, and a thickness ofthe inwardly projecting flange being smaller than a thickness of thebase.
 28. The game piece of claim 23, wherein each retainer fingerincludes a downwardly projecting portion projecting from the lowersurface of the outer skirt portion and an inwardly projecting portion,and each recess extends inwardly from an outer periphery of the base andincludes a first recess portion arranged to pass the respective retainerfinger therethrough and a second recess portion arranged to engage withthe inwardly projecting portion of the retainer finger to capture theretainer finger.
 29. The game piece of claim 28, wherein the firstrecess portion has a width greater than a width of the second recessportion.
 30. The game piece of claim 29, wherein the second recessportion is formed by an outwardly projecting flange having an uppersurface co-extensive with an upper surface of the base, and having athickness smaller than a thickness of the base.
 31. The game piece ofclaim 30, wherein one of an inner surface of the downwardly projectingportion of the retainer finger and an outer surface of the outwardlyprojecting flange includes a locking projection for restrainingdisengagement of the retaining member from the base, and the other oneof the inner surface of the downwardly projecting portion and the outersurface of the outwardly projecting flange includes an indentationadapted to align with the locking projection and sized to accommodatethe locking projection when the retaining member is engaged with thebase.
 32. The game piece of claim 27, wherein one of an outer surface ofthe downwardly projecting portion of the retainer finger and an innersurface of the inwardly projecting flange includes a locking projectionfor restraining disengagement of the retaining member from the base, andthe other one of the outer surface of the downwardly projecting portionand the inner surface of the inwardly projecting flange includes anindentation adapted to align with the locking projection and sized toaccommodate the locking projection when the retaining member is engagedwith the base.
 33. The game piece of claim 13, wherein the base includesa support portion and the coupling member includes a mounting portionadapted to fit over the support portion to mount the coupling member onthe base.
 34. The game piece of claim 33, wherein the coupling memberincludes a central member having a flat upper surface, therepresentational figure being affixed to the flat upper surface, and amedial ring portion extending outwardly from the central member, andwherein the mounting portion is formed on a lower surface of the centralmember and the support portion is formed on an upper surface of thebase.
 35. The game piece of claim 34, wherein the support portioncomprises a post having a substantially cylindrical shape and an innersurface of the mounting portion is adapted to fit closely over the postto mount the coupling member on the base.
 36. The game piece of claim34, wherein the base includes a raised platform on an upper surface ofthe base, the raised platform supporting a lowermost edge of themounting portion, and wherein the mounting portion has a predeterminedlength such that the lowermost edge of the mounting portion does notextend beyond a lowermost surface of the medial ring portion.
 37. Thegame piece of claim 34, wherein a lowermost edge of the mounting portionis supported by an upper surface of the base and wherein the mountingportion has a predetermined length such that the lowermost edge of themounting portion extends beyond a lowermost surface of the medial ringportion.
 38. The game piece of claim 13, wherein the base includes alateral projection extending outwardly beyond an outer edge of theretaining member when releasably engaged with the base and of sufficientsize to permit a player to grasp the lateral projection.
 39. The gamepiece of claim 13, wherein one of the coupling member and the basecomprises the index indicator and the other one of the coupling memberand the base comprises game related indicia, and wherein the gamerelated indicia includes a plurality of sections representing at leastone parameter.
 40. The game piece of claim 39, wherein each parameter isat least one of an action, a condition and a capability of the gamepiece.
 41. The game piece of claim 40, wherein the index indicatorcomprises an arrow.
 42. The game piece of claim 40, wherein the couplingmember comprises a central member having an upper surface for affixingthe representational figure thereto and a medial ring portion extendingoutwardly from the central member and including the game relatedindicia, and wherein the retaining member includes the index indicatorsuch that when the coupling member is rotated relative to thepreexisting support structure, the game related indicia is rotated withthe coupling member relative to the index indicator on the retainingmember.
 43. The game piece of claim 42, wherein an upper surface of themedial ring portion includes the game related indicia and an uppersurface of the retaining member includes the index indicator.
 44. Thegame piece of claim 43, wherein at least one of the parameters includesa predetermined value representing one of a damage value and a defensevalue.
 45. The game piece of claim 43, wherein the game indicia furtherincludes at least one figure parameter representing at least onecharacteristic of the game piece.
 46. The game piece of claim 45,wherein the figure parameter comprises a moving value representing amaximum distance the game piece can move in one turn of a game.
 47. Thegame piece of claim 10, wherein at least one of the second portion andthe preexisting support structure is formed from a molded plastic havinga low friction surface.
 48. The game piece of claim 47, wherein themolded plastic comprises molded ABS.
 49. A game piece, comprising thearticle of manufacture of claim 1 and said preexisting supportstructure, the article of manufacture being supported by the preexistingsupport structure, the preexisting support structure comprising a baseand a retaining member, the retaining member being releasably engagedwith the base, with the coupling member of the article of manufacturebeing captured between the base and the retaining member, the retainingmember and the base being arranged such that they may be released fromengagement by rotation of the retaining member with respect to the base.50. The game piece of claim 49, wherein the retaining member includes aplurality of retainer fingers formed integrally with the retainingmember, and the base includes a plurality of recesses corresponding tothe retainer fingers, the plurality of the retainer fingers beingarranged to engage with respective recesses.
 51. The game piece of claim50, wherein each recess includes a first recess portion arranged topermit a respective one of the retainer finger to pass therethrough anda second recess portion arranged to capture the respective one of theretainer fingers to releasably engage the retaining member to the base.52. The game piece of claim 51, wherein the coupling member includes acentral member having a flat surface arranged to affix therepresentational figure thereto, a medial ring portion extendingoutwardly from the central member and an outer lip portion adapted to becaptured by the base and the retaining member.
 53. The game piece ofclaim 52, wherein the outer lip portion is ring-shaped and a firstsegment of the outer lip portion extends downwardly from the centralmember and a second segment of the outer lip portion extends outwardlyfrom the first segment.
 54. The game piece of claim 53, wherein theretaining member comprises a ring-shaped member, an inner periphery ofthe ring-shaped member being smaller than an outer periphery of theouter lip portion.
 55. The game piece of claim 54, wherein the retainingmember includes an outer skirt portion extending at least downwardlyfrom an outer edge of the ring-shaped member and wherein a lower surfaceof the outer skirt portion abuts an upper surface of the base.
 56. Thegame piece of claim 55, wherein the plurality of the retainer fingersinterrupt the lower surface of the outer skirt portion, each of theretainer fingers including a downwardly projecting portion and anoutwardly projecting portion, and wherein the first recess portion ofeach recess is arranged to permit the outwardly projecting portion ofthe respective retainer finger to pass therethrough and the secondrecess portion is arranged to engage with the outwardly projectingportion to capture the retainer finger.
 57. The game piece of claim 56,wherein the second recess portion of each of the plurality of recessesis formed by an inwardly projecting flange, an upper surface of theinwardly projecting flange being co-extensive with an upper surface ofthe base, and a thickness of the inwardly projecting flange beingsmaller than a thickness of the base.
 58. The game piece of claim 55,wherein each of the plurality of the retainer fingers includes adownwardly projecting portion projecting from a lower surface of theouter skirt portion and an inwardly projecting portion, and wherein eachrecess extends inwardly from an outer periphery of the base, the secondrecess portion of the recess being arranged to engage with the inwardlyprojecting portion of the retainer finger to capture the retainerfinger.
 59. The game piece of claim 58, wherein the second recessportion is formed by an outwardly projecting flange having an uppersurface co-extensive with the upper surface of the base and having athickness which is smaller than a thickness of the base.
 60. The gamepiece of claim 49, wherein the base includes a support portion and thecoupling member includes a mounting portion adapted to fit over thesupport portion to mount the coupling member on the base.
 61. The gamepiece of claim 60, wherein the coupling member includes a central memberhaving an upper surface for affixing the representational figure and amedial ring portion extending outwardly from the central member, andwherein the mounting portion is formed on a lower surface of the centralmember and the support portion is formed on an upper surface of thebase.
 62. The game piece of claim 61, wherein the base includes a raisedplatform on the upper surface of the base for supporting a lowermostedge of the mounting portion and wherein the mounting portion has apredetermined length such that the lowermost edge of the mountingportion does not extend beyond a lowermost surface of the medial ringportion.
 63. The game piece of claim 61, wherein a lowermost edge of themounting portion is supported by an upper surface of the base andwherein the mounting portion has a predetermined length such that thelowermost edge of the mounting portion extends beyond a lowermostsurface of the medial ring portion.
 64. The game piece of claim 61,wherein the support portion comprises a post having a substantiallycylindrical shape and the mounting portion is arranged to fit closelyover the post.
 65. The game piece of claim 49, wherein at least one ofthe coupling member and the preexisting support structure are formedfrom a molded plastic having a low friction surface.
 66. The game pieceof claim 65, wherein the molded plastic comprises molded ABS.
 67. A gamepiece, comprising the article of manufacture of claim 1 and saidpreexisting support structure, the article of manufacture beingsupported by the preexisting support structure, the game piece furthercomprising indicia on one of the article of manufacture and thepreexisting support structure representing a plurality of attackparameters usable in a preexisting game, said indicia being movable withrespect to the other of the article of manufacture and the preexistingsupport structure in response to a force applied by a user, whereinselection of an attack parameter from said plurality of attackparameters is determined by a position at which said indicia rests afterbeing moved by the user.
 68. An article of manufacture for use by aplayer in a game or as a collectible figure, comprising: a supportmember adapted to support a representational figure; a base; and aretaining member; wherein said base and said retaining member areadapted to capture said support member therebetween, and said retainingmember is adapted to releasably engage with said base by rotating one ofsaid base member and said retaining member with respect to the other ofsaid base and said retaining member.
 69. An article of manufacture foruse by a player in a game comprising: a collectable figure comprising arepresentational figure on a support member; a base; and a retainingmember; the retaining member being rotatable relative to the base withthe support member therebetween to releasably engage the retainingmember with the base and capture the support member therebetween. 70.The article of manufacture of claim 68, wherein one of the base and theretaining member comprises an index indicator and the support membercomprises game related indicia so that when the support member iscaptured between the base and the retaining member and is rotated withrespect thereto, the index indicator is registered with the game relatedindicia.
 71. The article of manufacture of claim 68, wherein the supportmember, the base and the retaining member are configured so that, whenthe support member is captured between the base and the retainingmember, the support member is freely rotatable with respect to the baseand the retaining member.
 72. The article of manufacture of claim 69,wherein one of the base and the retaining member comprises an indexindicator and the support member comprises game related indicia so thatwhen the support member is captured between the base and the retainingmember and is rotated with respect to the base and the retaining member,the index indicator is registered with the game related indicia.
 73. Thearticle of manufacture of claim 69, wherein the support member, the baseand the retaining member are configured so that, when the support memberis captured between the base and the retaining member, the supportmember is freely rotatable with respect to the base and the retainingmember.
 74. A game piece for use as a position marker on a game board,the game piece comprising: a base having a rotatable top portion and astationary bottom portion, the top portion being prevented fromunintentional separation from the bottom portion and being freelyrotatable in relation to the bottom portion in a manner wherein there isthe absence of circumferential impedance elements against the freerotation of the top portion; a retainer releasably engaged with thebottom portion of the base and enclosing but not contacting an outercircumferential section of the top portion such that the top portion isprevented from unintentional separation from the stationary portion andis allowed to freely rotate; and a game figure connected to the topportion of the base.
 75. A game piece for use as a position marker on agame board, the game piece comprising: a base having a rotatable topportion and a stationary bottom portion, the stationary bottom portionhaving a post member defining a vertical axis, the top portion having abushing for engaging the post member, the top portion being freelyspinnable around the vertical axis in a manner wherein there is theabsence of circumferential impedance elements against the free spinningof the top portion; and a game figure connected to the top portion ofthe base.
 76. The game piece as claimed in claim 75 wherein the soleengagement of the top and bottom portion is through the post andbushing.
 77. A game piece for use as a position marker on a game board,the game piece comprising: a base having a rotatable top portion and astationary bottom portion, the bottom portion having a plurality ofslots, a post member, and a raised platform surrounding the post member,the top portion having a bushing for engaging the post member, theraised platform supporting the bushing such that the bottom portionsolely contacts the top portion through the bushing, the retainerenclosing but not contacting an outer circumferential section of the topportion and having a plurality of fingers releasably engaged with theplurality of slots in the bottom portion, thereby preventing the topportion from unintentional separation from the bottom portion; and agame figure connected to the top portion of the base; wherein the topportion is freely spinnable around the post member in a manner whereinthere is the absence of circumferential impedance elements against thefree spinning of the top portion.
 78. The game piece as claimed in claim77 wherein the bottom portion of the base includes an extension tofacilitate a user in maintaining the bottom portion stationary whilespinning the top portion.
 79. The game piece as claimed in claim 77wherein the top portion of the base includes a plurality of game relatedindicia specific to the connected game figure and wherein the retainerincludes an index indicator for designating one of the plurality of gamerelated indicia.